Prince cancels second Manchester gig after first fails to sell out

Prince cancelled a second gig in Manchester but let waiting fans in for the encore of the first (Picture: Xposurephotos.com)

He might have proven a popular draw in London – but it wasn’t quite the same story when Prince brought his live show to Manchester.

The diminutive star managed to sell out around 2,200 tickets for Friday night’s show at the Manchester Academy 1 – which went on sale online – with 400 held back to be sold on the door.

However according to reports only 250 of those tickets were sold – meaning everybody who had queued outside got into the venue to see the singer.

Prince’s manager Kiran Sharma later told fans on Twitter they could start queueing for the second show that night – but only another 100 people turned up, who were later let in to see the singer’s encore for a ‘reduced’ price of £35, rather than a whole show.

Those who saw the last four songs have reportedly been offered free admission to the singer’s show in Manchester tonight.

Prince’s Manchester shows followed a series of ‘intimate gigs across London earlier this month in support of his new music – using guerrilla tactics for his events by announcing venues on the day that he plays.